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Public transport in Dunedin
Public transport in Dunedin, New Zealand is mainly by bus. Three bus companies operate routes under their respective brands, co-branded with the Otago Regional Council as "GoBus". There are 18 weekday routes and 12 weekend/public holiday routes. Bus fares are paid for by cash, or by the electronic ticketing system "GoCard" which replaced paper multi-trip tickets in November 2007. Bus operators The GoBus network is operated with over 55 low floor wheelchair-accessible buses, and a further 2-3 non-wheelchair accessible buses mainly used at peak hours.[http://www.orc.govt.nz/portal.asp?categoryid=8 Dunedin public bus services on Otago Regional Council website] Bus route service contracts are often split between weekday services and weeknight-weekend-holiday services. There are currently (in 2011) three local bus companies: *Passenger Transport-Citibus (also known under their pre-merger names: Dunedin Passenger Transport and Citibus) operates the great majority of weekday routes, and all evening/weekend/public holiday routes. *Ritchies Transport operates weekday services to Pine Hill, Opoho, Lookout Point and Shiel Hill *Mosgiel Coach Services operates one service to Kaikorai Valley and Concord Routes -built low-floor suburban buses operated by Passenger Transport-Citibus at their Transport Place depot]] Weekdays and Saturdays Weekday and Saturday services run Monday to Friday from 6:30am to between 6:00pm and 7:00pm (depending on route), when the Weekday evening services take over, and from about 7am to 10pm on Saturdays. Most bus routes from the north and west are interconnected with routes from the south, with buses continuing from one route through to the other, forming one long bus route. For example, buses from Pine Hill continue though the Octagon to Lookout Point, and vice versa. Buses are signed through to their destination, so a bus from Pine Hill will be signed "40 Lookout Point", not "5 Octagon" and then "40 Lookout Point" (unless the bus terminates at the Octagon).Gobus timetable, 1 July 2013 All services except Ravensbourne Hill and Palmerston are required to accept wheelchairs, and some are required to accept bikes as indicated in the table; bike and wheelchair accepting buses may appear on other routes from time to time. Key * Route operated by Passenger Transport Citibus * Route operated by Ritchies * Route operated by Mosgiel Coach Services * All buses on route are required to be wheelchair-accessible * Buses on route are required to be fitted with bike racks Notes * *Bike racks and wheelchair accessibility are available on many other routes in addition to those on which they are required Weekday evenings, Sundays and Public Holidays Weekday evenings services operate from about 6pm to 11pm and Sundays and Public Holidays services run from about 9am to 6pm. All services are operated by Passenger Transport Citibus, and they all accept wheelchairs and bikesGobus timetable, 1 July 2013. Bold text Other transport services , operated by Tourism Transport, loads a passenger at Dunedin Railway Station]] Taxi companies in Dunedin include the following: *City Taxis *Dunedin Taxis *United Taxis Dunedin There are no conventional bus services to Dunedin International Airport: this airport is served by a large fleet of shuttle vans provided by several operators including most of the local taxi companies. Airport shuttle vans typically travel non-stop to or from the airport and meander about the city and suburbs picking up or dropping passengers at each address. Organising public transport in Dunedin 150px|left|thumb|GoBus sticker The vast majority of Dunedin's bus network is designed, specified, contracted and subsidised by the Otago Regional Council and funded by ratepayers. Buses use the individual companies' livery with Otago Regional Council GoBus stickers added. A couple of bus routes are operated commercially outside the Regional Council's control but still under the GoBus brand. All services are regulated by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). The Dunedin City Council has no administrative role other than as provider of the road infrastructure (with the exception of State Highways, for which NZTA is the provider), street furniture such as signs and seats and regulation of parking at bus stops. However, the city council is involved in discussions with the regional council over taking over the management of public transport. Fares All GoBus services except the Palmerston service operate on a zone-based fare scheme. There are seven concentric fare zones, with Zone 1 containing central Dunedin, and Zone 7 containing Mosgiel, Brighton, and Harington Point. The Palmerston service operates independently of the zone system. Fares are either paid in cash to the driver of the bus, or by GoCard. The GoCard is a radio frequency identification stored value card, similar to London's Oyster Card and identical (except for branding) to the Metrocard used for public transport in Christchurch. GoCards can be bought from the bus driver, or from Otago Regional Council or Dunedin City Council offices for $5, with a minimum top-up value of $10. From 1 October 2010, GoBus fares are:ORC.gov.nz History of public transport in Dunedin The Dunedin City Council operated other forms of public transport — the Dunedin cable tramway system (similar to the famous San Francisco cable cars) operated between 1881 and 1957; electric trams operated on several routes from 1900 to 1956; and trolleybuses from 1950 to 1982. New Zealand Government Railways Department operated Commuter trains from the Dunedin Railway Station to Wingatui and Mosgiel, and to Port Chalmers until 1982 and 1979, respectively. They also operated motor buses to the suburbs of Warrington, Cherry Farm, Brighton, Outram, Mosgiel. In early times, there were ferries connecting the central city to Port Chalmers and Portobello, but these ceased in the 1930s when road connections along the harbour's edge were improved. Former public transport operators companies in Dunedin include Turnbulls (Dunedin to Portobello); Newtons (Dunedin to Waverley), Otago Road Services (Dunedin to the suburbs of Green Island, Abbotsford and Fairfield) and Cesta Travel, later called Southeastern (a wide range of routes at various times). The Taieri Gorge Railway has expressed interest in running a reinstated commuter rail service in Dunedin, but has no plans to proceed with the idea without funding. The Otago Regional Council is opposed, maintaining that Dunedin's passenger transport requirements are being adequately served by the bus system. References External links *Otago Regional Council * Otago Regional Council * Citibus * Get the Train